THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
399 
September 26.] 
to endeavour to have it superseded; only, we would implore 
all parties to be in great earnest about the selection and pre¬ 
servation of their seed; for assuredly there is no crop in 
which care will sooner manifest a corresponding amount of 
success than in the potato. We can say this much from ex¬ 
perience, for we were amongst the first on the original ap¬ 
pearance of the disease to advise the fanners to this course, 
and though it was long before we could make any impression, 
yet it is plainly seen now that the advice and the argu¬ 
ments on which it was based were not in vain. So much 
was said about potatoes in last month’s paper, that it is un¬ 
necessary to add more now, but merely to repeat, that dry¬ 
ness, above all things, is essential to the potato in its present 
condition. 
It is time.now to commence using the lower leaves of the 
mangold or beet; this, indeed, may commence in the end 
of September, or even sooner. The only thing requisite is 
to slip them off as soon as they begin to discolour, beginning 
of course at the bottom of the stem and working upwards. 
They will bear this once a week until taken up to store. At 
the last trimming, our practice is to trim a great portion of 
the crown leaves away, for such must unavoidably be done 
soon on account of convenience of storing. Indeed, if very 
sharp frosts occur, it is well to commence this operation 
earlier, as much valuable fodder is contained in these tops, 
which the cow eats greedily; and if no cow, they can be given 
to the pig. 
In housing or pitting the mangold, a dry day, if possible, 
during a dry period, should be chosen ; the roots should be 
pulled betimes in the morning, and thrown on the surface, 
when, if any wind as well as sun, they will be ready to scrape 
by two o’clock r.M. The roots should then be passed 
through the hand, and the rough of the soil cleared away by 
means of a wooden scraper; and if they are tolerably dry, 
the sooner they are removed the better, otherwise it may he 
■worth while to let them lie all night, provided the weather 
is safe ; the latter, however, is but a gambling transaction 
at best, the weather being so variable and uncertain at this 
period. They will keep very well piled up in a sharp ridge 
! on a high and dry plot of ground, throwing a coating of 
thatch over them. We prefer putting them in a shed or 
outhouse, if such can be had, or, indeed, anywhere where 
they are perfectly dry, and where a thorough circulation of 
air can be had ; for this root does not shrivel, like the 
carrot, on exposure to the air. One thing must be observed 
in pitting them—they must not be placed in too large a 
body. We would not have the mound more than four feet 
wide at the base, but as high as they can be piled, putting 
all their crowns outward, at least as much as possible, and 
piling all above the ground level. The term “ pitting,” there¬ 
fore, is not strictly applicable here. 
What has been said of the mangold applies equally to 
carrots, parsnips, &c., with some trifling exceptions. The 
latter roots, however, it must be understood, are not of so 
succulent a character as the mangold, and therefore will not 
endure much exposure to the atmosphere without shrivelling. 
Carrots keep exceedingly well in sand or ordinary soil 
which is nearly dry, putting alternate layers of roots and 
soil. Carrots, however, are very excitable as to sprouting, 
if anyways damp or warm; and for this reason many good 
cultivators cut the crowns “ into the quick," or rather cut 
beneath them, when preparing them for storing. We have 
practised this mode for several years, and believe that it 
preserves them plump and tender longer than by the old plan. 
As to parsnips, we have before said, what we must again 
repeat, that there is no better plan of husbanding the par¬ 
snip than to leave them in the ground, trenching them out 
as wanted. In this case, we merely determine on the crops 
which shall succeed them in the ensuing season, and this, of 
course, points to the amount or character of the manuring. 
This done, the manure is applied, and serves a double pur¬ 
pose—namely, to protect the crowns, and to prepare for the 
subsequent crop. Those who cannot find time must of 
necessity store them; and we may observe, that any plan 
which succeeds with the carrot will do for the parsnip ; 
indeed, they may very fairly be mixed together, if need be. 
Swedes. —These are so well known that little comment is 
needed here. We may merely observe, that it becomes the 
allotment man and the cottager to make the most of their 
tops, as soon as the season has fairly declined. 
The Various Greens. —Nothing remains now but to 
collect occasionally the half-decaying leaves, and to work 
them up as cow or pig food. It may seem a small thing to 
large holders to talk of collecting weekly, or otherwise, the 
decaying leaves of these crops; let them remember that 
“little things are great to little men,” and that, indeed, 
without a very severe economy, which many in easy circum¬ 
stances would despise, the cottager or allottee could not 
hope to succeed. Nevertheless, with it, with industry, per¬ 
severance, and a feeling of independence, he may, and will, 
succeed in placing himself beyond the pale of pauperism, 
which, indeed, is the wish of the majority of our country¬ 
men, and, in the main, distinguishes them from such as the 
mobs of Paris and the Lazzaroni of Naples. It so happens, 
that the savoys and the various brocolis are tender as to 
their endurance of frost, just in proportion as they are luxu¬ 
riant. An old and very good practice prevails among gar¬ 
deners of laying or falling strong plants of these things 
towards the middle or end of October. Now, we opine that 
the mere cottager is not much in the brocoli way; never¬ 
theless, as we would fain give breadth as well as length to 
our advice, and as The Cottage Gardener now and then 
creeps into the parlour, we must take the liberty of giving 
now and then a collateral turn for a moment, and swift back 
again to our old beat. The “ falling,” then, we strongly 
recommend; and by all means fall the greens tvith their heads 
to the north. There is, certainly, something very tempting 
in a genial sunshine to ladies’-maids, butterflies, sunflowers, 
ifcc., (fcc., but these brocolis, having produced their utmost 
bulk, require a sort of rest, during which, the vegetable 
extension being as it were suspended, nature is busied in 
forming the blossom-bud, which, when fairly developed, we 
term a brocoli or a cauliflower, as the case may be. This is 
easily accomplished by opening a trench on one side of the 
plant, rather deep, and preparing a sloping facing to receive it; 
a deep cut or two on the opposite side liberates the plant, 
which falls gently against the opposite slope. The plants 
being thus sunk, soil should be piled up to their very necks, 
or as high as the leaves will permit; at the same time draw¬ 
ing away any wounded and all half-decaying leaves. 
Cabbage. —The first week of this month is the best time 
to plant out those cabbages which were sown in August, and 
which will produce the largest of any in the ensuing summer. 
These require half a yard between the rows, and rather more 
than a foot in the row; if, however, the soil is rich and the 
kind large, they should have more room still. Our practice 
is, after planting the larger kinds at their permanent dis¬ 
tance, to introduce a row of the small early kinds betwixt 
every two rows, and also a plant of the same betwixt every 
two plants in the row. We prefer the Matchless for this 
purpose; the Early York, however, will do, or any early 
hearting and dwarf kind. These latter will come in for use 
early in April if strong plants, and may be used daily until 
the middle of May, when they must be all cleared off, and 
the ground cleared for the summer cabbage, which will then 
require well soiling up. 
" All late cabbage plants not wanted to plant out perma¬ 
nently this autumn, should be immediately pricked out on 
raised beds, in an open situation. These will be very valu¬ 
able in spring, should a hard winter ensue; and surplus i 
stock may be sold at nearly one shilling per hundred. J 
Whilst on this subject it may be well to name that some of 
the cottagers near at hand grow many thousands m this I 
way; and we know of one or two who have nearly paid their 
rental occasionally by growing the Drumhead cabbage for 
the farmers. We do think that every cottager should turn 
his attention to this point, for where he has a stout boy or 
two the pricking out may be done entirely by them; and 
this is the only tedious part of the business. 
Where plenty of green-lade sprouts are desired through 
the winter, we advise that a portion of the crowns be used 
up betimes in this month ; this will cause them to sprout 
much earlier. The too common practice is, to leave them 
on until February, when, of course, the heads and sprouts 
come all of a glut. This is neither expedient nor econo- | 
mical 
Lettuce. —We woidd have every cottager prick out a few 
hundred lettuces in the early part of this month ; if lie has 
not raised them, he may buy a few of some civil gardener, i 
These form admirable pig food, to say the least of them, in i 
